CHA provides timely information to its members via email on a daily basis through CHA News, issued at 3 p.m. every day, Monday through Friday. This section contains a chronological listing of CHA News articles. For information by topic, please visit the Hospital Topics section.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released its annual report to Congress on Medicare’s review, validation and oversight of approved accrediting organizations (AOs). The report identifies nine approved Medicare AOs, as well as seven approved under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA), and outlines their actions during fiscal year 2015 as compared to previous years. The report also analyzes CLIA Validation Program results.

Seats are filling up for the California Physician Leadership Program, an interactive training program designed to enhance physicians’ strategic leadership and critical thinking skills and increase physician engagement. Individuals interested in participating in the 2017-18 session should enroll soon to secure their space.

The 14-day program provides a comprehensive curriculum that covers a wealth of topics relevant to physicians today, including health care policy, personal and professional leadership, emerging health care delivery systems, health care laws and regulations, the political environment, the dynamics driving change in health care and more.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has issued the attached All Facilities Letter noting current outbreaks of hepatitis A infection in San Diego and Santa Cruz counties. According to CDPH, infections are particularly prevalent among homeless persons and users of illicit drugs. CDPH has determined transmission occurs person-to-person; no commercial product is identified as being contaminated.

CDPH recommends that hospitals work with local health departments to offer hepatitis A vaccines to all patients who are homeless, users of injection or non-injection illicit drugs, infected with hepatitis B or hepatitis C, or have other liver disease. Hospitals must contact their local health department immediately – while the patient is still in the facility – to report suspected hepatitis A infections, as well as promptly report all confirmed cases and save the blood (serum and EDTA or citrate plasma) from hepatitis A serological testing. Providers in outbreak jurisdictions should also make the hepatitis A vaccine available to health care personnel who have frequent close contact with patients who are homeless or use illicit drugs.

The Hospital Quality Institute (HQI) has released a report on maternity care in California hospitals. Last year, HQI received a grant from the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) to understand the birthing practices of rural and community hospitals in achieving low cesarean delivery rates. The grant, Promoting Optimal NTSV Delivery Rates (PONDR), also involved a deep dive of perinatal event data from CHPSO Patient Safety Organization’s database.

The authors of the grant will present their work at the HQI Annual Conference, Nov. 1-3, in Monterey. The presentation, Sources of Success in Maternity Care: A California Story, will include findings from the PONDR study and safety report analysis with details on how NTSV cesarean delivery rates are being sustainably reduced. Presenters will also provide recommendations, strategies, protocols and tools, along with analyses of hospitals that are reducing unnecessary cesarean deliveries, increasing perinatal safety, and achieving better health care outcomes for their patients and families.

As students return to school, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reminds parents and guardians to check their children’s vaccine records. California law requires students to receive certain immunizations in order to attend public and private elementary and secondary schools, as well as licensed child care centers. Schools and licensed child care centers are required to enforce immunization requirements, maintain immunization records of all children enrolled and report student immunization status to CDPH. Last April, CDPH reported that vaccination rates were at record levels, with 96 percent of all children attending kindergarten in 2016-17 having received all required vaccines. For more information on immunization requirements for students, visit the Shots for School website.

CHA offers the resources below to help member hospitals and health systems communicate with internal and external audiences on a range of current health care-related issues. Examples include a comprehensive toolkit of materials on hospital practices related to federal immigration policies, as well as talking points to assist with discussions on timely topics. The page is updated regularly with new information and tools to meet hospitals’ communications needs.

The national debate surrounding federal immigration policies provides an important opportunity for California hospitals to reinforce the bond they have with local communities. Accordingly, CHA has developed the Reassuring Our Communities Communications Toolkit, whichincludes background information and sample content for use with internal and external audiences. The materials, many of which are in both English and Spanish, are formatted in Microsoft Word so they can be easily customized. In addition, samples of hospital policies and communications materials can be found below.

Carmela Coyle, President/CEO of the Maryland Hospital Association, has been selected as the new President/CEO of the California Hospital Association (CHA) and its parent organization, the California Association of Hospitals & Health Systems (CAHHS). Coyle will replace long-time CHA President/CEO C. Duane Dauner, who is retiring.

Coyle has led the Maryland Hospital Association since 2008. During her tenure, she has played a leading role in reframing the hospital payment system in Maryland, moving to a value-based methodology. As a result, Maryland is considered to be a national leader in health care policy and innovation.

Prior to joining MHA, Coyle spent 20 years in various roles with the American Hospital Association (AHA), including 11 years as the Senior Vice President of Policy, where she served as a national media spokesperson and led AHA’s policy development and strategy planning activities. Earlier in her career, Coyle worked for the Congressional Budget Office in Washington, D.C.

“CHA and CAHHS are fortunate to have identified a person who has the national stature, state hospital association leadership experience and years of policy, political and practical expertise as Carmela Coyle,” said CHA Board of Trustees Chair Ann Madden Rice, CEO of the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. “Carmela is well-positioned to lead California’s hospitals into the future.”

Coyle earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and Spanish literature at Carleton College in Minnesota. She has completed additional educational course work at the University of Michigan’s Pew Health Policy Program and Yale University.

She currently serves as a member of the AHA Board of Trustees, the Maryland Healthcare Education Institute, the Maryland Patient Safety Center, the Living Legacy Foundation and the Caring Bridge Consumer Advisory Council.

Coyle is the recipient of numerous professional awards and honors, including having been named Influential Marylander in 2010 and 2016, and as the Maryland Association of Health Care Executives Most Valuable Partner in 2013.

Dauner, who has led CHA and CAHHS for the past 32 years, called Coyle’s selection a “wonderful choice” for California.

“Carmela Coyle is a friend, colleague, outstanding leader and innovative visionary,” Dauner said. “CHA and CAHHS will be in good hands with Carmela Coyle at the helm.”

Coyle will be relocating to Sacramento with her husband Steve and son Jack. Their daughter Molly is a student at College of Charleston in South Carolina. Coyle is expected to begin her new role by October 30, 2017.

To ensure continuity in leadership and executive management at CHA, Dauner will continue to serve the organizations as a consultant until December 31, 2018.

As one of the largest health care trade associations in the nation, CHA represents more than 400 hospitals and health systems in California. The association advocates for patients and hospitals, promotes public health policy and is hospitals’ voice at the state and federal levels. CHA has offices in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.

California hospitals have long stood for health care coverage for all Americans. The draft health care bill released today by the U.S. Senate does not meet this principle. In fact, the proposed legislation would likely result in a significant step backwards.

California has covered 4 million children, seniors and working families through Medi-Cal expansion over the past several years. Additionally, 1.5 million Californians have purchased insurance through Covered California. California leads the nation in expanding health care coverage, with 91 percent of all Californians now covered. This progress has helped working Californians, seniors and children access care they would not otherwise have had.

Health care coverage makes a significant difference in the lives of working families who now have access to important preventative care, routine examinations, hospital services and medications. This care keeps children healthy and in school, gaining the knowledge they need to become the future of our state and our country. Many adults who once had trouble finding health coverage because of pre-existing conditions such as high blood pressure, asthma and diabetes are receiving the care and access to treatment they need and contributing to a more productive workforce — key to California’s growing economy.

Passage of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) by the House of Representatives does not advance CHA’s long-standing goal to expand health care coverage to all Californians.

California leads the nation in expanding health care coverage, with 91 percent of all Californians now covered. If the current version of the AHCA is enacted, some of this gain could be undone, resulting in a loss of health care coverage for many Californians. The plan calls for $880 billion to be cut from the Medicaid program nationwide – an amount that will undermine this vital program. More than 14 million Californians – including children, seniors and low-income families - are currently enrolled in Medi-Cal, California’s version of Medicaid.

The AHCA would increase the cost of coverage for Californians with pre-existing health conditions. A last-minute amendment to the AHCA requires states to request a waiver from the federal government in order to obtain funding for high-risk pools that would support coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. It is unknown whether California will seek such a waiver, however it is unlikely that sufficient federal funding will be available to provide affordable coverage for all individuals suffering from high-cost pre-existing conditions.

California’s experience with high-risk pools has been unsuccessful, in part because they were underfunded. A program launched in the early 1990s called the Major Risk Medical Insurance Program (Mr. MIP) left many people without coverage or on long waiting lists.

CHA supports an optimally healthy society which includes coverage for all Californians. The Association will continue to support this vision as the AHCA moves to the U.S. Senate.

The proposed Affordable Care Act (ACA) partial repeal and replacement plan released last night by House Republicans could have negative impacts on California hospitals and the patients they serve. In particular, CHA is concerned about the likelihood of a reduction in coverage that would result from this proposal.

California leads the nation in expanding health care coverage, with 91 percent of all Californians now being covered. The plan’s proposal to restructure Medicaid will likely undo the important gains in coverage that have been made over the past few years. California has the highest poverty rate in the nation. An estimated 6.3 million Californians, including 1.9 million children, live in poverty.

SACRAMENTO (February 6, 2017) – Ann Madden Rice, CEO of the University of California Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, has been elected 2017 chair of the California Hospital Association (CHA) Board of Trustees.

Data breaches caused by hacking, so-called IT incidents and unauthorized access are on the rise, with 162% more incidents at healthcare organizations so far in 2017 as there were in all of 2016, according to data from HHS‘ Office for Civil Rights. Security experts said that’s because hacking has gotten easier and organizations are now reporting incidents they previously might have kept quiet about.

In recent months, mothers who nearly died in the hours and days after giving birth have repeatedly told ProPublica and NPR that their doctors and nurses were often slow to recognize the warning signs that their bodies weren’t healing properly.

A study published Tuesday in MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing substantiates some of those concerns. Researchers surveyed 372 postpartum nurses nationwide and found that many of them were ill-informed about the dangers mothers face after giving birth.

Women, in particular, have a lot at stake in the fight over the future of health care. Not only do many depend on insurance coverage for maternity care and contraception, they are struck more often by such diseases as autoimmune conditions, osteoporosis, breast cancer and depression. They are more likely to be poor and depend on Medicaid — and to live longer and depend on Medicare. And it commonly falls to them to plan health care and coverage for the whole family. Yet in recent months, as leaders in Washington discussed the future of American health care, women were not always allowed in the room.

The Trump administration, faced with increasing pressure from Republican members of Congress, backed away from causing an immediate crisis in healthcare marketplaces and agreed Wednesday to continue making payments to insurance companies that are widely viewed as critical to keeping the industry stable.

President Trump and his top aides have flirted for months with cutting off the money, known as cost-sharing reduction payments, which help subsidize insurance co-payments and deductibles for low-income and moderate-income Americans.

The Trump administration’s moves to cancel two mandatory bundled payment models and scale back on another means the CMS has to work hard to push providers into value-based care, experts say.On Tuesday, the CMS cut the number of locations mandated to participate in the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement, or CJR, model from 67 to 34. It also canceled Episode Payment Models and the Cardiac Rehabilitation incentive payment models that were supposed to begin on Jan. 1, 2018. The agency said the rules were too burdensome to providers.

This thinking may help explain the findings of a new study that points to an increase in drinking among adults in the U.S., especially women.

“We found that both alcohol use and high-risk drinking, which is sometimes called binge-drinking, increased over time,” says Deborah Hasin, a professor of epidemiology at the Columbia University Medical Center and an author of the study.

State regulators have issued $200,000 in penalties against the health insurer Health Net for violating antidiscrimination laws by denying coverage to several patients who sought gender reassignment surgery. It is the first time the California Department of Managed Health Care, which regulates HMO plans in the state, has issued an enforcement action against an insurer for violating the Insurance Gender Nondiscrimination Act, a department spokesman said. The state law, which took effect in 2012, prohibits health plans from discriminating against people based on gender identity or expression.

Two of L.A.’s largest providers of hospital care are opening neighborhood-serving medical offices in Playa Vista just days apart, exemplifying a nationwide trend of decentralizing the delivery of health care.
This Thursday, Providence St. John Health Center celebrates the grand opening of Playa Vista physician offices providing primary and specialty care, including pediatric medicine. Specialty care services such as cardiology or women’s and men’s health coming online this fall.

When Americans look up what do they see? A country with a population less than that of the famous California, along with all the Canadian stereotypes of bacon, maple syrup, and everything else, eh? Oh, I forgot one, free healthcare, too. Canada’s single-payer health insurance system has been under the scopes of legislators— and pretty much everyone else— trying to look for a cure for the debilitating healthcare situation in the U.S. With the introduction of the Affordable Care Act by former President Barrack Obama, countless of lower-class Americans finally got the healthcare they deserved. Of course, this was at the expense of the upper class and middle class, since their premiums rose to make up for the lower class’ decreased healthcare costs.

The Central Coast is blessed with many outstanding medical care facilities, a convenience we’ve become accustomed to and comfortable with.

Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital recently received the national Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award. No big surprise for Valley residents — Cottage Hospital is known for its top-quality patient services — but the Press Ganey honor puts the local hospital in the top 5 percent nationally for outstanding services.

Experts and health care providers briefed ethnic media about the future of healthcare in California as the debate about the Trump Administration’s repeal and replace of the Affordable Care Act continues.

The August 10 media briefing was presented by New America Media in collaboration with The Children’s Partnership, California Primary Care Association, and Health Access California. It was facilitated by Odette Alcazaren-Keeley, director, National Media Network Chair, New America Media Ethnic Media Awards Program & Gala.

Developed by CHA and intended to assist members in their advocacy, this brochure illustrates the vital role hospitals play in the nation’s complex health care system and includes helpful data such as the number of Californians now insured, poverty rates and hospitals’ economic impact on their communities.

In 2014-15, with support from the James Irvine Foundation, CHA partnered with hospitals, educators, funders and other experts to identify strategies for increasing the number of high-quality, health care work-based learning opportunities for California high school students. Health care as a whole is one of the fastest growing industries in the nation. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 17 of the 30 fastest growing occupations are in the health sector.

CHA is pleased to release the attached report, Critical Roles: California’s Allied Health Workforce (March 2014), a follow-up to an original 2011 publication. The report includes statewide information on select allied health occupation vacancy rates and age distribution, as well as other important information. The report is based on a 2013 statewide hospital survey that was designed to gather up-to-date data on the demand for health professionals in the short term and to identify hospital workforce concerns in the coming years. In addition to highlighting the survey findings, the updated document also includes key messages for policy makers and other stakeholders relevant to health workforce development in California. For a printed copy of the report, please contact info@calhospital.org.